Direct supermarket sales raise incomes for Iraqi refugee farmers by 48%

Shafaq News- Duhok

Refugee, displaced, and local farmers in Iraq's Kurdistan Region increased their earnings by up to 48% after gaining direct access to major supermarket chains through a UN-backed agricultural hub, according to a report by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).

The initiative's first shipment, 1.5 tons of potatoes delivered to a Carrefour store in Duhok, sold out within 24 hours. Strong demand prompted the retailer to order an additional three tons, which were also sold within a day.

The sales were made through the Faida Aggregation Hub, a facility established to help refugee, internally displaced, and host-community farmers pool their produce and reach large buyers that would otherwise remain beyond their reach.

The project addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing displaced communities in northern Iraq. Duhok continues to host hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Iraqis as well as large numbers of Syrian refugees, many of whom struggle to secure reliable sources of income.

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